Four family members sentenced on drug offences — 12.02.2010

Four members of one family who were arrested in a drugs operation that led to the closure of the Ipswich chapter of the Nomads outlaw motorcycle gang (OMCG), were sentenced in the Brisbane Supreme Court today.

Anthony Leighton Parke of Redbank, his parents Dale Richard Parke and Estelle Marion Parke of Silkstone, and father-in-law Christopher Joseph Parker of Redbank were among more than 30 people arrested during a series of raids in February 2007.

This operation involved more than 200 police from the CMC, Queensland and New South Wales police services and the New South Wales and Australian Crime Commissions.

The arrests followed an operation aimed at dismantling the organised interstate trafficking of dangerous drugs by members of the Nomads OMCG.

In today’s court appearance, 35 year-old Anthony Parke who was treasurer of the SEQ chapter of the Nomads OMCG, was sentenced to nine years gaol for trafficking dangerous drugs including methylamphetamines, cocaine, MDMA and cannabis. He will be eligible for parole after three years and nine months imprisonment.

His father Dale Parke 58, who was convicted of trafficking methylamphetamines and cannabis was sentenced to four years gaol to be suspended after 15 months.

Estelle Parke aged 60, who pleaded guilty today to two counts of supplying methylamphetamines, was placed on probation for 12 months with no conviction recorded.

Fifty two year old Christopher Parker, the Sergeant-at-Arms of the SEQ chapter of the Nomads OMCG, was convicted on three counts of supplying a dangerous drug and sentenced to 15 months gaol wholly suspended for an operational period of 18 months.

CMC Director of Crime Operations, Detective Chief Superintendent Len Potts said the latest sentences meant the majority of those arrested in the operation had now been dealt with and many had received gaol sentences of various periods.

However, one of the most significant outcomes of the operation was that it had effectively dismantled the criminal activities of one chapter of the Nomads outlaw motorcycle gang.

“Shortly after the 2007 raids the clubhouse of the Ipswich chapter of the Nomads was closed and it has not re-opened,” he said

“This is one of the few if not the only operation in which an entire chapter of an OMCG has been completely dismantled and not resurfaced.”

He also emphasised the importance of partnerships between Queensland, interstate and national crime agencies in investigating and combating organised crime.